1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is directed to bicycle pedals and components. More particularly, the present invention is directed to bicycle pedals incorporating binding mechanisms which are used with binding plates on a shoe worn by a rider.
2. Description of the Related Art
In order to hold a rider's shoe in position on a bicycle pedal, bicycle pedals including toe-clips are employed to grasp the front portion of each of the rider's shoes. The toe-clips in conjunction with pedals and straps allow both downward and upward motion to be transmitted as drive force, however, toe-clips have the disadvantage that they do not provide for easy disengagement in the event of a fall. Thus, clipless pedals have been developed to overcome the disadvantages of pedals having toe-clips.
Clipless bicycle pedals use a binding mechanism on the pedal to engage a plate on a rider's shoe to hold the shoe in position on the pedal. The binding mechanism prevents the shoe from slipping off the pedal, while also providing for easy disengagement when stopping or in the event of a fall. Clipless pedals may also provide a positive pedaling force during both the upward and downward motions of the pedal. Conventional clipless pedals generally include a pedal body having a binding mechanism mounted thereon to engage said plate. The pedal body is, in turn, rotatably mounted on a pedal shaft. The binding mechanism includes a retaining claw fixedly mounted to said pedal body and a movable claw movably mounted to said pedal body and a spring which urges the movable claw toward the plate fixed to the bottom of the rider's shoe. The binding mechanism and said plate are designed to cooperate with each other so that a horizontal twisting or sliding movement of said plate produces a movement of the movable claw, permitting disengagement of said plate.
Due to the incorporation of the binding mechanism on the pedal body, however, conventional clipless pedals require a pedal body which is bulky and mechanically complicated. This makes their assembly and cleaning difficult and time consuming. Moreover, conventional clipless pedals have a relatively large number of components which increases their weight and cost.
Accordingly, there is a need for a clipless bicycle pedal which is lightweight, mechanically simple and relatively inexpensive.